Description

MOMLOC is a constructed variable that indicates whether the person's mother lived in the same household and, if so, gives the person number of the mother (PERNUM). The method by which probable child-mother links are identified is described in MOMRULE.

MOMLOC makes it easy for researchers to link the characteristics of children and their (probable) mothers.

User Caution: MOMLOC identifies social relationships (such as stepmother and adoptive mother) as well as biological relationships. MOMLOC will also identify the unmarried partner of a child's father identified with POPLOC

If the person identified with MOMLOC has a spouse or partner identified through SPLOC, the spouse or partner will also be identified as a parent through POPLOC (if a different-sex couple) or MOMLOC2 (if a same-sex couple). POPRULE and MOM2RULE will communicate the method through which those relationships are identified.

Comparability

The development of new family interrelationship variables was prompted by the desire to have more comparability between different IPUMS projects and over time. The family interrelationship variables use common logic across ATUS-X, IPUMS CPS, IHIS, and USA (modern years). Each project has different allowed links because of different level of detail in each project, but the logic of assigning parents in ambiguous situations is the same.